270 │ COLUMBIA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY 2015-2016 │ APPENDIX A
To fulfill personal and vocational goals, Columbia
International University offers a variety of academic
programs, with Bible as the core of each. To understand
the Bible it is necessary to know its content, understand
its meaning, and apply the truth of the Scripture so that it
changes patterns of thinking and behavior. Skill in
observing, interpreting, and applying God’s Word is
necessary. Bible surveys, book studies, topical Bible
studies (e.g. theology), and Bible-related subjects are
designed with these purposes in mind. To develop skill
in the use of the Bible, tools for study and
communication are learned and used in such courses as
hermeneutics and homiletics. However, to make Christ
known in the full sense of the word, it is necessary not
only to study the Bible and Bible-related subjects, but to
know and communicate well with the people to whom we
make Christ known.
As an institution of higher education, at least two
relevant reasons for studying general education are
essential. First, an important part of studying the various
disciplines in general education is to become the fully-
formed, creative, reasoning, social creatures that God
designed us to be. In doing so we enter into richer
relationships with God and others. The second vital
reason to study general education is to develop the
ability to communicate Christ effectively. By becoming
well-formed, we will have reasoning skills, worldview
understanding, anthropological knowledge, and historical
perspectives that will enable us to reach others.
Undergraduate Objectives
The objectives of our undergraduate programs express
specific ways in which we endeavor to accomplish our
mission through helping students to develop in spiritual
maturity, Bible knowledge, ministry skills, and general
education. We take our mission and objectives seriously
and have taken care to state these objectives in terms
that facilitate assessment. We conduct specific
assessment activities each year and the results guide
the institutional planning process, enabling us to make
improvements.
Focused on Spiritual Formation
*
Graduating students should demonstrate a growing
intimacy in their relationship with God, as evidenced in
the areas of worship, prayerfulness, and faith.
Graduating students should demonstrate a biblical
understanding of themselves rooted in Christ, as
evidenced in the areas of confidence, self-discipline, and
stability. Graduating students should demonstrate a
growing relationship with the body of Christ as
evidenced in the areas of community, unity, and
submission. Graduating students should demonstrate a
growing maturity in personal relationships as evidenced
in the areas of purity, faithfulness, and servanthood.
Graduating students should demonstrate a desire to
serve God fully as they engage the world as evidenced
in the areas of eternal perspective, conviction, and
perseverance.
*The faculty recognizes that spiritual formation may be
defined in various ways. After careful consideration, in
2005 the faculty defined spiritual formation as: “The
divinely ordained transformational process by which the
Holy Spirit leads believers to embrace the Lord Jesus
Christ through the Word of God and by that relationship
become progressively freer from sin and more like
Christ. The Spirit’s formative work occurs in the context
of a vital engagement with a community of believers.”
Focused on Bible Knowledge
Graduating students should demonstrate basic
understanding of the content and composition of the
biblical revelation of God’s plan of salvation and program
of redemption, including a basic grasp of the content,
principles of interpretation, and theological teaching of
the Bible. Graduating students will demonstrate a
thorough understanding of the biblical standards,
principles, and provisions for Christ-like living.
Graduating students should demonstrate a basic grasp
of the biblical mandate for world evangelization and the
role and responsibility of each individual believer and
local church.
Focused on Professional Competencies and Ministry
Skills
Graduating students should evidence identification and
understanding of their spiritual gifts and abilities and
evidence ability to use them effectively in ministry.
Graduating students should evidence integration of the
cognitive aspects of learning with affective and
behavioral aspects by demonstrating competence in
development of ministry strategies, development and
use of ministry materials, and adequate skill in methods
and media of presentation appropriate to their individual
academic specialization and vocational goals.
Graduating students should demonstrate development in
and adequate reflection of traits and skills for spiritual
leadership such as commitment to the biblical priority of
world evangelization, personal involvement in
evangelizing the lost and promoting righteousness,
justice and mercy in society, dependability, creativity,
initiative, and vision, and a servant attitude in their
ministry skills and internship experiences.
Graduating students should demonstrate technical and
human service skills by completing internships or other
forms of direct service under professional supervision in
their programs.
Focused on General Education
Graduating students should evidence development in
formation of a biblical worldview, which provides a
framework for interpreting, integrating, and assimilating
truth from various realms of revelation and human inquiry.
Graduating students should demonstrate improved
achievement and proficiency parallel to that of students
of comparable academic aptitude nationally in
developing intellectual skills, including proficiency in